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Casey For Freedom: Continuing The Ron Paul Message In Maine

As the Ron Paul movement is entering a transition phase into the future beyond presidential politics, a series of candidates who are strong on the message of liberty are taking their chances at running for office. Tim Lajoie, Lewiston City Republican chair, is a pro-liberty candidate for the Maine House of Representatives in District #74, while Ron Paul-endorsed Representative Aaron Libby is running for re-election in Waterboro. Sam Canders, another liberty Republican, is running in District #15, in Bangor. In addition to these strong candidates, there is another individual who is worth taking a look at. This man’s name is Kevin Casey, who is making a splash in Portland with his “Casey For Freedom” message.

Portland writer and fellow Bangor Daily News blogger Chris Busby noted in an October 4th article titled “More signs of the apocalypse: Republican sighted in Portland’s West End, and people agree with him”, that Kevin Casey does stand a good chance at winning in November. His Ron Paul-style Libertarianism is one thing that many left-leaning residents of Portland can agree with. The Republican vote will be secure, because Republicans won’t vote for Greens or Democrats. Could the crossover appeal really lead Kevin Casey to the unthinkable of having a Republican representing Portland?

The idea itself, a Republican from Portland in Augusta, sounds outrageous. In an area known for being liberal, it seems highly unlikely. But Casey is not your typical Republican. He is not a liberal Republican, typically known in the party mainstream as a RINO (Republican In Name Only), because he advocates strong libertarian principles. He is not a conservative, because he does carry some left-leaning views. But he is also not a Libertarian, because he is running as a Republican. To sum up everything, Casey, like many other fellow Ron Paul supporters running for office in Maine and across America, is unique.

Another point working to Casey’s favor, as Busby noted in his article, is that the seat race is wide open:

The Greens and Dems have battled over this district for the past decade, since John Eder won here in 2002, becoming the first Green in the country elected to a state legislature. Democrat Hinck bested Eder in 2006 and easily held onto the seat until he decided to make his ill-fated Senate run this year. Hinck has dutifully endorsed Moonen, but the incumbent’s imprimatur is not likely to be a big factor — Portland Democrats, like those elsewhere in Maine, chose Cynthia Dill over Hinck by a large margin in this year’s primary.

An appeal to those Democrats, who may be split between the Democrat and Green candidates, is his pro-choice, pro-gay marriage stances. While the former is not as prevalent in the Ron Paul movement, it is one that will attract the liberal mainstream of Portland. The second point will, also. The libertarian message of decriminalizing marijuana also appeals to liberals and conservatives alike, and will attract voters from both sides.

For Republicans, Casey does offer a lot to them, as well. Proving he’s no liberal running on their ticket, he supports conservative ideas such as health and food freedom, advocating choice in both areas. He wants to eliminate the income tax, according to Busby, and as Casey notes on his campaign website, wants to keep money in the pockets of Portland citizens. This “keeps money local, which grows the economy and keeps jobs in Portland”, Casey says on his website. He goes on to state that the debt is the greatest threat to our children’s future.

The message that Congressman Ron Paul brought to the political mainstream is one of freedom and liberty. Such ideas as eliminating the income tax, which historically has enabled the expansion of big government, and allowing citizens to spend their hard-earned money as they see fit, now are strong within politics. The presidential campaign was a vehicle for unity, which brought many grassroots activists together, and have further inspired people to run. Casey is apart of the future of the Republican Party, which will be a shift away from social issues and more towards a productive approach to the fiscal issues that face us and our children’s future. The citizen’s of District #118 have an opportunity to elect a candidate of the people. For positive change for Maine’s future, Portland citizens would be wise to vote “Casey for Freedom.”

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About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.

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Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.